Explain call by reference, C/C++ Programming

Assignment Help:

Call by Reference

Passing variables(parameters) to a function in C can be done in two ways - pass by value, also called as call by value and pass by address or also known as call by address. C++ though , gives one more way to call a function - call by reference. In call by value , a copy of the actual contents of the variables is passed to the function. In this case, alters made to the formal variable , as they are called, are not reflected back in the calling function. Passing an address permits changes to be made directly to the memory, which are occupied by the actual variable.

Though, a call by address requires the formal variable to be considered as pointer and therefore the indirection operator has to be used with them. A reference on the other hand, is another name, for a previously explained variable. In other words, after a reference is explained for a particular variable, using its original name as well as the reference can refer to the variable. Hence, a reference is nothing but an alias.

 Thus not passing a copy (call by value) saves time and is efficient. It does not have to make a temporary variable /. And not passing the address(call by address), eliminates the use of pointers in the called functions. But, at the same time, the changes made to a formal variable , using its reference or alias can be reflected back in the calling function.

 


Related Discussions:- Explain call by reference

How do i develop a subscript operator for a matrix class?, Employ operator ...

Employ operator () instead of operator[]. While you have multiple subscripts, the cleanest way to do it is along with operator () instead of with operator[]. The reason is that

What do you meant by linear search, Question : (a) One of the most co...

Question : (a) One of the most common sorting techniques we have in programming is the ‘Bubble Sort'. This technique will be used to sort an array of elements in ascending or

Volume, how to find the volume of cone , cylinder and sphere ?

how to find the volume of cone , cylinder and sphere ?

PROGRAM, TO CONVERT A NUMBER OR A DIGIT INTO ALPHABET

TO CONVERT A NUMBER OR A DIGIT INTO ALPHABET

Binary search tree and graph, Important Note: No course works, which have b...

Important Note: No course works, which have been submitted via hard copies or emails, will be accepted a short essay below edited in a document (word, other) files with

What is a recursive function, Question 1 Write a program in ‘C' to check w...

Question 1 Write a program in ‘C' to check whether a given number is even or odd Question 2 Explain while and do... while loop with an example Question 3 Write a program

#title prime number or not, to find prime numbers upto any number say "n" e...

to find prime numbers upto any number say "n" entered by user

Introduction to C language, Design and implement a library system that does...

Design and implement a library system that does the following: ? Takes details of a student/library users: first name, last name, other names, user ID number, and nationality. Th

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd